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Should Value Investors Now Opt Interpublic Group (IPG) Stock?
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Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Interpublic Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.56, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 24.14. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Interpublic Group’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
However, the stock’s PE also compares unfavorably with the Zacks Business Services sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 33.81. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is slightly undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Interpublic Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 12.06, so it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near future.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Interpublic Group has a P/S ratio of about 0.72. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 4.27 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is somewhat below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Interpublic Group currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Interpublic Group a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Interpublic Group might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of B and Momentum Score of D. This gives IPG a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current year estimate witnessed two upward revisions in the past sixty days compared to one downward revision, whereas the full year 2021 estimate witnessed three upward revisions compared to no downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current year consensus estimate increased 11.1% in the past two months, whereas the full year 2021 estimate increased 6.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. The Price and Consensus
Even with better estimate trends, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Interpublic Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 18% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the sector has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!
It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.
Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021.
Image: Bigstock
Should Value Investors Now Opt Interpublic Group (IPG) Stock?
Value investing is easily one of the most popular ways to find great stocks in any market environment. After all, who wouldn’t want to find stocks that are either flying under the radar and are compelling buys, or offer up tantalizing discounts when compared to fair value?
One way to find these companies is by looking at several key metrics and financial ratios, many of which are crucial in the value stock selection process. Let’s put The Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (IPG - Free Report) stock into this equation and find out if it is a good choice for value-oriented investors right now, or if investors subscribing to this methodology should look elsewhere for top picks:
PE Ratio
A key metric that value investors always look at is the Price to Earnings Ratio, or PE for short. This shows us how much investors are willing to pay for each dollar of earnings in a given stock, and is easily one of the most popular financial ratios in the world. The best use of the PE ratio is to compare the stock’s current PE ratio with: a) where this ratio has been in the past; b) how it compares to the average for the industry/sector; and c) how it compares to the market as a whole.
On this front, Interpublic Group has a trailing twelve months PE ratio of 10.56, as you can see in the chart below:
This level actually compares favorably with the market at large, as the PE for the S&P 500 stands at about 24.14. If we focus on the long-term PE trend, Interpublic Group’s current PE level puts it below its midpoint over the past five years. Moreover, the current level is fairly below the highs for this stock, suggesting it might be a good entry point.
However, the stock’s PE also compares unfavorably with the Zacks Business Services sector’s trailing twelve months PE ratio, which stands at 33.81. At the very least, this indicates that the stock is slightly undervalued right now, compared to its peers.
We should also point out that Interpublic Group has a forward PE ratio (price relative to this year’s earnings) of just 12.06, so it is fair to expect an increase in the company’s share price in the near future.
P/S Ratio
Another key metric to note is the Price/Sales ratio. This approach compares a given stock’s price to its total sales, where a lower reading is generally considered better. Some people like this metric more than other value-focused ones because it looks at sales, something that is far harder to manipulate with accounting tricks than earnings.
Right now, Interpublic Group has a P/S ratio of about 0.72. This is lower than the S&P 500 average, which comes in at 4.27 right now. Also, as we can see in the chart below, this is somewhat below the highs for this stock in particular over the past few years.
Broad Value Outlook
In aggregate, Interpublic Group currently has a Value Score of A, putting it into the top 20% of all stocks we cover from this look. This makes Interpublic Group a solid choice for value investors, and some of its other key metrics make this pretty clear too.
What About the Stock Overall?
Though Interpublic Group might be a good choice for value investors, there are plenty of other factors to consider before investing in this name. In particular, it is worth noting that the company has a Growth Score of B and Momentum Score of D. This gives IPG a Zacks VGM score — or its overarching fundamental grade — of A. (You can read more about the Zacks Style Scores here >>)
Meanwhile, the company’s recent earnings estimates have been encouraging. The current year estimate witnessed two upward revisions in the past sixty days compared to one downward revision, whereas the full year 2021 estimate witnessed three upward revisions compared to no downward revision in the same time period.
This has had a noticeable impact on the consensus estimate, as the current year consensus estimate increased 11.1% in the past two months, whereas the full year 2021 estimate increased 6.5%. You can see the consensus estimate trend and recent price action for the stock in the chart below:
Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. The Price and Consensus
Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. The price-consensus-chart | Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. The Quote
Even with better estimate trends, the stock has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), which is why we are looking for in-line performance from the company in the near term.
Bottom Line
Interpublic Group is an inspired choice for value investors, as it is hard to beat its incredible lineup of statistics on this front. However, with a sluggish industry rank (bottom 18% out of more than 250 industries) and a Zacks Rank #3, it is hard to get too excited about this company overall. In fact, over the past two years, the sector has clearly underperformed the market at large, as you can see below:
So, value investors might want to wait for estimates, analyst sentiment and broader factors to turn around in this name first, but once that happens, this stock could be a compelling pick.
More Stock News: This Is Bigger than the iPhone!
It could become the mother of all technological revolutions. Apple sold a mere 1 billion iPhones in 10 years but a new breakthrough is expected to generate more than 27 billion devices in just 3 years, creating a $1.7 trillion market.
Zacks has just released a Special Report that spotlights this fast-emerging phenomenon and 6 tickers for taking advantage of it. If you don't buy now, you may kick yourself in 2021.
Click here for the 6 trades >>